Cecilia Santini joins the Louis Zamperini Foundations UNBROKEN CURRICULUM Advisory Committee

We are very pleased to announce that Cecilia Santini has joined us as an advisory committee member of the Unbroken Curriculum. Cecilia combines extensive experience serving students as a Professional School Counselor with United Independent School District for over 16 years. Cecilia is currently working with students at the Residential Facilities and Juvenile Detention Center. Her working familiarity includes procedures that involve assisting students with their overall educational, career and personal goals.

Cecilia is a Licensed Professional Counselor, her knowledge in theories and practices have afforded her a seat at the table alongside multi-disciplinary teams who aim to break the cycle of abuse. She previously served children as a Registered Play Therapist at the Webb County Children’s Advocacy Center in Laredo.

Cecilia continuously uses her skill-set to provide students the opportunity to acquire the mechanisms and tools to sharpen their coping skills and in so doing  she strives to offer them opportunities to be better prepared in overcoming life’s greatest obstacles. She believes there is nothing more uplifting and edifying for a family and a community than a young person who understands their purpose in life and who works towards developing their God-given gifts and talents to be a help to others.

Cecilia loves doing life with her husband, Richard and their 3 children.

Bill Neighbors joins the Louis Zamperini Foundation Board

Bill Neighbors currently serves as the Chief Content Officer for Xperi Corp. (DTS | HD Radio | IMAX Enhanced | TiVo )

Bill has worked in the entertainment technology industry for more than 30 years spanning the music, TV and motion picture sectors.  He holds a BS Degree in Business – Finance from CSUN. Bill is a Southern California native and has recently moved to the Inland North West.  Bill lives in Spokane with his wife CJ – they have 4 daughters and 1 son.

It’s Here!!

The Louis Zamperini Foundation announces the official launch of the UNBROKEN CURRICULUM™ MASTER SERIES, which is now live.

Additionally, the Foundation has just completed 35 educational videos, a series which instructs teachers on how best to bring the Curriculum into the classroom. The videos are designed to support both our teachers and students!

Whether teaching is being done in person or remotely, educators will have the tools to adopt this immersive life-changing study into their classrooms, wherever or however this is done!

Press Release: The Unbroken Curriculum™ for Teachers

Penguin Random House Education, The Louis Zamperini Foundation and Resilient Educator launch “Unbroken: A Victory for Hope”, a ground-breaking national teacher development program and The Unbroken Curriculum™, to help build resilience, hope and courage as the nation prepares to go back to school.

Launching with a live Webinar, a free online toolkit and an innovative teacher professional learning platform, The Unbroken Curriculum™ helps students face challenging times through the development of empathy, resilience and social-emotional learning 

(July 27, 2020) -- Penguin Random House Education in partnership with The Louis Zamperini Foundation and Resilient Educator, announces the launch of “Unbroken: A Victory for Hope,” a curriculum and resilience initiative for teachers and their classrooms across the country.

In response to the overwhelming challenges faced by America’s teachers as they prepare for a back to school like no other, and the 55 million students managing heightened levels of stress, trauma and anxiety, this bold new initiative brings together the powerful story of the best-selling book “Unbroken”  with an immersive webinar, toolkit and an innovative online professional learning program designed to help teachers foster the resilience, hope and social emotional self-discovery children need as they face a series of existing and novel learning obstacles.

Based on the young adult adaptation of New York Times best-selling book “Unbroken”, The Unbroken Curriculum™ developed by Heather Fuller and The Louis Zamperini Foundation creates a unique and powerful way to open the hearts of students, connecting their own personal stories to the heroic journey of Louis Zamperini. Now this unique curriculum has been converted into a digital online experience that can reach every teacher in America through an online professional learning platform.

“The immersive study of stories that reflect students’ personal experiences, that focus on success and hope, is key to cultivating resilience in youth. The ‘Unbroken’ story and The Unbroken Curriculum™ provide a social-emotional learning tool that enables teachers to make authentic connections with students, meeting kids where they are emotionally,” says Michael Gentile, VP of Sales and Marketing for Penguin Random House Education.

This “Unbroken Resilience Initiative” will launch with a live webinar for teachers on July 29th featuring Heather Fuller, the teacher-entrepreneur responsible for developing The Unbroken Curriculum™. This webinar will provide the tools and guidance necessary for creating a critical classroom culture of oracy, linking it to the heroic story of Louis Zamperini and, most importantly, fostering an open space for social-emotional discovery and dialogue.  

Building upon the proven techniques in The Unbroken Curriculum™, teachers will learn how to conduct exercises that encourage students' to share and reflect on their individual stories of resilience through a challenging time. Teachers will also learn how to manage this instruction for online, physical and hybrid classrooms. In conjunction with the webinar, participants will receive a ready-to-use toolkit with downloadable exercises and passages from the book, and free access to an additional 3 hour online mastery teacher development program to help deliver these valuable techniques in the classroom.  

“We are bringing together the power of one of the most inspiring and hopeful stories of resilience and courage, a tested and tried curriculum to build resilience in kids and the power of innovative online learning technology to allow this to reach millions of teachers,” says Luke Zamperini, President of The Louis Zamperini Foundation. 

 “Through The Unbroken Curriculum™, students will gain implicit instruction in understanding and applying social-emotional competencies and skills; embedded opportunities to practice these competencies and skills during instruction; and participate in a learning environment that models hope, resilience, safety, belonging and purpose so students can fully embrace learning,” says Rob Wrubel, CEO of Resilient Educator.  

This curriculum will help connect social, emotional and academic dimensions of learning to drive student achievement. Following the July 29th webinar, the “Unbroken Resilience Initiative” program will provide continual updates, building a community of change agents looking to bring resilience and hope to every classroom in the country.

This summer and back to school program includes:

●      Live webinar for 60-minutes on July 29th by Heather Fuller, teaching oracy and the first chapters of the “Unbroken (Young Adult Adaptation)”

●      “Unbroken: A Victory for Hope” toolkit with Part 1 of the book for meaningful back to school engagement

●      Free 90 minutes online micro-course guiding teachers through the social emotional learning

●      Downloadable resources and tools to support

●      Links to further explore The Unbroken Curriculum™

If you would like to view the Webinar Please Click on this link:

Teacher Appreciation Week

This year Teacher Appreciation Week is most definitely more appropriate than ever before. When the coronavirus outbreak shuttered school buildings, teachers were asked to quickly transition to remote instruction, while also trying to meet the social-emotional needs of their students during very unsettling times.

All of us at the Louis Zamperini Foundation would like to say THANK YOU for your unwavering dedication to our students! Thank you for your long hours and for the passion and commitment you show each and every day.

Bringing the Unbroken Curriculum into classroom through onLine learning. . .

(This image of students in Lift Raft exercise is Pre-Coronavirus)

As the pandemic continues, we are entering the second month of school closures throughout the country.  Our children are facing a radical interruption in their academic routines. 

 The Louis Zamperini Foundation is working on solutions. We now have teachers across the country signed up and utilizing the Unbroken Curriculum. They are finding creative ways to bring the book and elements of the curriculum to their students.  Utilizing Zoom and other video conferencing technologies, teachers are reading Unbroken aloud to their students.   

 While this time of social distancing does not allow the students to engage in “round table discussions” in their classroom, they are able to participate collectively through teacher led social media and discuss the major elements of Louis’ life. Key components in the Unbroken Curriculum include themes of hope, perseverance, survival, and courage.  Our students need these tools now more than ever! 

 Students are also able to participate in a project called “Letters To Louis”. This is a poignant, reflective writing assignment showcasing students and their personal “stories.”  This activity can also be shared through Zoom in their “new” classroom setting!

While teachers will likely have to wait until the fall to employ the full range of project based learning elements such as “The Life Raft Activity” … these kids are currently able to engage in profound discussions on what it takes to overcome great adversity in life. They come away with renewed hope for their futures after taking this journey of courage and stamina with Louis.  

We hope you will join us by filling out our questionnaire and become a part of the Unbroken Curriculum onLine adventure!

Unbroken Curriculum Coming Soon. . .

In the California mountains on a June day in 1954, a mess of boys tumbled from a truck and stood blinking in the sunshine. They were quick-fisted, hard-faced boys, most of them veterans of juvenile hall. Louie stood with them, watching them feel earth without pavement, space without walls. He felt as if he were watching his own youth again.

So opened the great project of Louie’s life, Victory Boys Camp. Beginning with only an idea and very little money, he’d found a campsite, talked businesses into donating materials, and spent two years building the camp himself.

At Victory, lost boys found themselves. . . . . When he wasn’t with his campers, Louie was walking the world, telling his story everywhere from classrooms to stadiums.........
TODAY Louie’s story will be taught in classrooms across the country! Unbroken Curriculum is COMING SOON!

(Excerpt from Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand)

Surviving Against All Odds

The Louis Zamperini Foundation received this letter from a deservingly “proud” mama from American Samoa, whose 10 year old son Richard insisted upon telling Louis’ story of ‘Surviving Against All Odds’ for National History Day.  Even though his mom tried to dissuade him, he knew the power of Louis’ story was worth pushing for!   Louis would be so deeply impressed with this young mans tenacity! Thanks for sharing this with the LZF as we continue to shine a light on the powerful effects of Louis’ story on todays youth!

Hello and Talofa,

I wanted to share this with you all. My son, Richard Mamea (10) and his partner Renee Dunson (11) will be representing our island of American Samoa next week in the National History Day. They are among 10 other students both from senior and junior division. The title of their project is Louis Zamperini: Surviving against all odds. To be honest. I never saw the movie nor heard about Louis until our pastor was talking about him in one of his sermon. Little did I know, my son was listening and was inspired by his story.

When I approached my son a month later and asked if he had a history project ready, he said he was researching Zamperini. I discouraged him and said pick another topic, because I thought it wasn't a topic people knew. A month later, my son was not budging with his topic  and I asked him what was so special about him and was was his triumph in life. I was blown away when my 10 year old, told me all these things he overcame, but said his biggest triumph was giving his life to Jesus Christ.

I was ashamed of myself, and thankful my son stuck it out with his topic and didn't listen to me. He and his partner won first place on their category against 26 other entries. They also placed 3rd and will now be traveling to Maryland. Thank you Jesus! Thank you for all you do, and continuing what Louis Zamperini started with the youth. God bless.

Luke Zamperini Addressing the Graduating Class at Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy

Luke and Lisa Zamperini visit Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy, where Luke is the Key Note speaker for the 2019 graduating class.

Honoring Those Who Gave So Much This Memorial Day

As we honor our nations' military heroes - the men and women who have died in wars to protect American liberty, or those in service to our country, we are reminded that FREEDOM is NOT FREE. Let's take a moment to remember the heroes that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

In an interview done in 2011, Louis was asked his definition of COURAGE.

Meroney: Your story isn’t just about forgiveness. It’s about the definition of courage—the courage it takes to overcome incredible odds. Given your expertise in this area, who do you regard as the best examples of courage today?

Louis Zamperini: The injured soldier who comes back from Afghanistan and says, I want to go back. He could get out of the service with a wound, but instead he says, I want to go back and be with my buddies.

"Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 15:13